Strip feed



l Aug. 7, 1945. A. E. B`oRroN 2,380,918

' STRIP FEED Filed sept. 4, 19'43 2 sheets-sheet 2 lil INVENTOR. y Yinw/v5 50PM/y gards this present illustration, all

Patented Aug. 7, 1945 2,380,918 I s'rmr FEED Alwyn E. Borton. SouthOrange,

Associated Patentees, Inc.,

poration of New Jersey Application September 4, 1943, Serial No. 501,3298 Claims. I Cl. 271-25) The invention here disclosed relates to thefeeding of strip stock, particularly in machines of the multi-slide typesuch as disclosed in the Burton Patents #1,883,513, october 18, 1932,and

1,959,853, May 22, 1934.

In such machines, .the stock is advanced by a reciprocating feed slidehaving its stroke governed by xed stops. Action of the slide is furthercontrolled by a so-called drag," in the nature of a, brake acting on therods on which the slide reciprocates. It was found that even with thegreatest of care in settingvthe parts this feed would get out ofadjustment after the machine had been running for a time.

Similarly in respect to the feed check for holding the stock in advancedposition, it was found .that after the machine had been run i'or anappreciable time, .the check would begin to fail to hold the stock atjust the right point.

While variations resulting from the above might not be objectionableordinarily, .there are Y special cases where any such losses in accuracymight become important.

Objects of the present invention are .to overcome and eliminate thepossibility of changes such as mentioned in the feeding of the stock andto provide feed mechanism of a particularly accurate and constant formwhich may be relied upon to continue in action without variation in .thefeed.

A related object is to utilize the accuracy of feed attained, to thegreatest extent, by speeding up the feed stroke to the maximum limitspossible or practical.

Other desirable objects and advantages attained by the invention willbecome apparent or are specifically mentioned in the followingspeciflcation.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the speciiicationillustrate a present practical embodiment of the invention. Structure,however, may be modified and changed as rewithin the true intent andbroad scope of the invention, as hereinafter dened and broadly claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawings is a broken top plan view of the feed slide andstockV anism.

ting of the front stop I9.

N. J., assigner to Ampere, N. .1., a cor- Fig. 5 is at side elevationand broken vertical sectional view as on substantially the line 5-5 ofFig, 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged broken sectional view on substantially the planeof line 6-6 of Fig. 5 showing particularly the drag block assembly.

Fig. '1 is an enlarged cross sectional detail of the front stop, as onsubstantially the plane of line 1 1 of Fig. 5.

Fis. 8 is a broken horizontal sectional view as on substantially theplane of line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

The feed slide isshown as of the same general construction disclosed inthe patents above identified, comprising a block I0 sliding on guiderods I2 and carrying a lever I3 pivoted at I4 for gripping the stripstock against a clamp plate I5, said lever being engaged by a slide rodI6 pivotally connected by link I1 with an oscillating lever I8.

The advancing movement of the feed slide is limited by an adjustablestop screw I9 engaged by a hardened plate 20 in the front face oi theslide block. This front stop screw is carried by a block 2| having asplit clamp portion 22 secured by bolts 23 over a supporting rod 24positioned to the outside of the slide block supporting rod I2. l

As shown in Fig. 7, the front stop block 2| has a passage 25therethrough, clear or free of the slide rod |2to lthe extent that thisrod may expand or contract without Similarly the-back stop screw" 26 iscarried by a block 21 adjustably clamped at 28, 28 on 'the supportingrod 24, said block having an opening 3U for free passage of the slidesupcheck mechi Fig. 2 is 'a broken sectional view as on. the I sectionalview of the quick feed cam structure.

porting rod I2. .This back stop screw is engaged by a hardened stoppiece 3| carried by the feed slide block.

The 4drag for controlling the movements of composed of oppo the slideblock is shown as sitely disposed springpressed brake plugs 32 engagingopposite sides of guide rod and correspending spring pressedfrictionplugs 33 engaging opposite sides of the slide supporting rod1:,Fig. 6.

These two sets of spring pressed friction elements are shown in Figs. 1and 6 as all carried by vlan H shaped block or frame 3l having passages35 slidingly receiving theI brake members and closed at the outer endsby screw plugs '36 forming abutments for the springs 31.

The drag mechanism .thus constituted forms a single complete unit whichcan be made up effecting the set-v as such and bolted on at 38 over theend of the slide block. The back stop piece 3| may be set in and becarried by this drag block.

The division of the braking surface into two parts engaging oppositesides of a slide supporting rod distributes and equalizes wear andlessens the tension necessary on any particular one of these brakeelements. Hence the resultant heat is to an extent segregated from thebody of the slide block by the constituting of the drag as a separate,small unit bolted onto the end of the slide block.

With the construction disclosed also there may be no need for separatelyadjusting the individual brake elements, it being sufficient to merelyprovide springs 31 which will closely approximate the desiredbrakingpressure and which then need only be confined in place by abutmentscrews such as 36, with no special provision for tension adjustments.

Such heating of the slide supporting rods Il, I2 as may be occasioned bythe drag does not ,harmfully affect the accurate setting of the frontand back stops because of the fact that those stops are supported on arod 24 separate from the slide supporting rods and by blocks 2|, 21having free passage for the rod l2 which they encircle.

The stop check is similar to that in the patents above identied in thatit comprises a plunger 39 projected by a cam 40 against the force of aspring 4l to grip the strip against a xed guide plate 42.

guide -62 in lever 56 and carrying the stud 53 on In the patentedconstruction, however, a certain amount of wear was occasioned by acontinued rubbing action between the cam rocker and the outer end of theplunger.

The possibility of such accruing inaccuracy is avoided in the presentdisclosure by constructing the pusher 43 for the plunger 39 as a Tshaped member, Fig. 3, having transverse journal extensions 44 rockingin journal seats 45 in the upstanding arm 46 of the bellcrank lever 41pivoted at 48 and carrying the roll 49 in engagement with cam 40.

For purposes of fine adjustment the pusher 43 is shown as a bolt havinga screw threaded mounting 50 in the journal block 44, and secured inadjusted relation by lock nut 5l, the projecting head portion 52 of thisbolt having a.v rocking ball and socket engagement with the end of theplunger at 53.

This articulated pivotal connection between the cam rocker and plungerassures continuous accurate gripping engagement of the stock, serving inco-action with the accurate slide feed operation to keep the machineeffective for fine work over long continued periods of operation.

Another factor contributing to the accurate, speedy operation of themachine is the actuation of the feed slide through a cam speciallydesigned to give theslide a quick feed stroke and allow as much time asmay be desired for the return movement and the timing of the parts totake the funest advantage of the quick feed possible with such'aspecially designed cam.

In the illustration, the special feed cam is indicated at 54, Fig. 5,engaged by roll 55 on rock lever 56 pivoted at 51 and connected by link58 with the feedslide operating lever I8.

Accurate timing of these parts is accomplished by adjustment of theconnection between cam lever 56 and link 58 throughthe medium-of a screw60 turning in lever 56 and connected with the block 6I slidingsubstantiallyvertically in a which the link 58 is pivoted.

Also the cam is shown as formed in a disc 64 secured incircumferentially arhustable relation by bolts 65 passing through slots66, to a. drive disc 61 on shaft 68, the latter operated by gearing (notshown) from the left-hand cross shaft of the machine.

The last described, in conjunction with the previous features, enablethe machine to be set to best advantage for quick and accurate stripfeeding action and with the assurance that the machine will continuewith the same accuracy of operation. g

What is claimed is:

l. A slide feed, comprising supporting rodsy a slide block reciprocatingon said rods, a drag carried by said block and engaging said rods,.,front and back stops for said slide'block, a suppolrting rod on whichsaid front and back stops are adjustably fixed, said front and backstops being free of said slide supporting rods so as to be unaffected byexpansion of the same resulting from heat occasioned by action of thedrag on said supporting rods, said drag including an H shaped blockseparably attached to one end of said slide block and having passagesopen to opposite sides of the supporting rods, brake plugs.

1 ried bysaid block and engaging said rods, front,

and back stops for said slide block and a supporting rod on which saidfront and back stops are adjustably fixed, said front and back stopsbeing free of said slide supporting rods so as to be unaffected byexpansion of the same resulting from heat occasioned by action of thedrag on said supporting rods, said front and back stops comprisingblocks with split clamp portions adjustably secured on said stopsupporting rod and having passages surrounding and of larger diameterthan one of said slide block supporting rods.

3. A slide feed, comprising supportirg rods, a slide block reciprocatingon said rods, a drag carried by said block and 7 engaging said rods,front. and back stops for said slide block, a supporting rod on whichsaid front and back stops are adjustably fixed, said front and backstops being-free of said slide supporting rods so as to be unaffected byexpansion of the same resulting from heat occasioned by action of thedrag on said supporting rods and a stop check including a plunger forgripping the stock advanced by the feed slide, a rocker, a cam foractuating said rocker and a pusher pivoted in said rocker at one end andhaving a ball and socket engagement with said plunger at the oppositeend.

4. A slide feed, comprising supporting rods, a slide block reciprocatingon said rods, a drag carried by said block and engaging said rods, frontand back stops for said slide block, a supporting rod on which saidfront and back stops are adjustably fixed, 'said front and backstopsbeing free of said slide supporting rods so as to be unaffected byexpansion of the same resulting from heat occasioned by action of thedrag on said plunger, said pusher including a-T-shaped member havinglaterally projecting journal extensions and a longitudinally adjustablescrew stud screw threaded in the stem portion of said T- shaped memberand having a head with one element of a ball joint incorporated therein.

5. A slide feed, comprising supporting rods, a slide block reciprocatingon said rods, a drag carried by said block and engaging said rods, frontand back stops for said slide block, a supporting rod on which saidfront and back stops are adjustably Xed, said front and back stops beingfree of said slide supporting rods so as to be unaffected by expansionof the same resulting from heat occasioned by action of the drag on saidslide supporting rods, a cam for reciprocating said slide block,v alever vibrated byvsaid cam, a link having pivotal connection with saidlever, screw means for accurately setting the position of said pivotalconnection and a lever vibrated by said link and connected With saidslide block.

6. A slide feed, comprising supporting rods, a slide block reciprocatingon said rods, a drag carried by said block and engaging said rods, frontand back stops for said slide block, a supporting rod on which saidfront and back stops are adjustably xed, said front and back stops beingfree of said slide supporting rods so as to be unaffected by expansionof the same resulting from heat occasioned by action of the drag on saidsupporting rods, a cam for reciprocating said slide block, a levervibrated by said cam, a link having pivotal connection with said lever,screw means for accurately setting the position of said pivotalconnection and a lever vibrated by said link and connected with saidslide block, said cam forming part of a disc, a drive disc with whichsaid cam disc is engaged, one of said discs having slots therein andbolts passing through said slots into the other disc for securing saidcam disc in circumferentially adjustable relation to said drive disc.

'7. In a slide feed, the combination of a slide block and a drag blockdetachably secured together, supporting rods on which said slide blockis mounted, said drag block having seats at opposite sides of saidsupporting rods, brake plugs slidably mounted in said seats, closuresover the outer ends of said seats and springs conned by said closures inengagement with said slidably disposed brake plugs.

8. In combination with stock feeding mechanism, a stop check comprisinga stock engaging plunger, a cam, a rocker actuated by said cam and apusher journaled in said rocker on an axis parallel to the axis of saidrocker; and having an adjustably mounted screw stud intersecting saidjournal axis and having a ball and socket engagement with said plunger.

ALWYN E. BoRToN.

